Francine and David Wheeler's son Ben, 6, was one of the victims of the Newtown, Conn., shooting.

Photo: Niko J. Kallianiotis / New York Times

WASHINGTON — The mother of a child killed in the school shooting in Newtown, Conn., delivered a raw plea Saturday for the Senate to pass gun control legislation, using an avenue normally reserved for the president.

Struggling to maintain her composure, Francine Wheeler spoke of her 6-year-old son, Ben, who was killed on Dec. 14 at Sandy Hook Elementary School, as she took the unusual step of delivering the White House's weekly address instead of President Barack Obama.

“I've heard people say that the tidal wave of anguish our country felt on 12/14 has receded — but not for us,” Wheeler said with her husband, David, by her side.

“To us, it feels as if it happened just yesterday. And in the four months since we lost our loved ones, thousands of other Americans have died at the end of a gun. Thousands of other families across the United States are also drowning in our grief.”

“Please help us do something before our tragedy becomes your tragedy,” she said.

The presence on Capitol Hill last week of the families of those killed in Newtown was considered a crucial element in getting the Senate to vote, 68-31, to proceed with debate on gun safety proposals.

While the families of the 20 children and six educators killed do not all support tighter gun restrictions, those in favor of greater control have proved to be some of the most compelling advocates, successfully pushing for new laws in Connecticut.

Obama, after delivering his own appeal on gun control Monday in Hartford, gave families a ride to Washington on Air Force One so they could lobby members of Congress.

It in no way guaranteed passage of the gun measure, however; some Republicans and Democrats who voted for the initial step said they would not support the final bill.

At the administration's request, Wheeler taped her message in the White House library Friday morning, an Obama aide said.

“Sometimes I close my eyes and all I can remember is that awful day waiting at the Sandy Hook Volunteer Firehouse for the boy who would never come home — the same firehouse that was home to Ben's Tiger Scout Den 6,” Wheeler said. “But other times, I feel Ben's presence filling me with courage for what I have to do — for him and all the others taken from us so violently and too soon.”